Version 4 of Live Now Shipping

Ableton announced that Live 4 is available now. In Live 4, users will find a complete approach to MIDI sequencing, pattern recording, drag-and-drop sampling, virtual instruments and MIDI hardware support...

Ableton announced that Live 4 is available now. In Live 4, users
will find a complete approach to MIDI sequencing, pattern recording, drag-and-drop
sampling, virtual instruments and MIDI hardware support. Ableton has also
made substantial extensions and enhancements to existing functionality, including
such features as swing/groove for audio and MIDI clips, a new channel-routing
scheme, simplified recording, sample reverse, and several exciting new creative
options for the Session View.

New Live 4 Features include:

MIDI Tracks, Effects and Instruments. MIDI sequencing in Live has been designed
to get the user started within seconds. Software instruments appear in Live's
built-in Browser. Dragging an instrument from the Browser into the mixer creates
a MIDI track containing that instrument, ready to play and record. MIDI effects
and audio effects can instantly be inserted into the same track by dragging,
with no need for menus or abstract routing concepts. The signal flow within
the track is intuitively set up by drag and drop. The Track View provides instant
access to all instrument and effects controls.

Live 4 also includes the 'Simpler' sampling instrument, which allows for instant
sampling, polyphonic playback and creative exploration of any sound dragged
into its display. 'Impulse' is a polyphonic percussion sampler with drag-and-drop
sample import and powerful and innovative sound-shaping controls. In addition,
Live hosts any VST or Audio Units (Mac OS X only) plug-in instruments. MIDI
tracks with no software instrument can deliver MIDI to external hardware synthesizers,
ReWire client programs or other MIDI tracks in Live. Live 4 also includes 5
MIDI effects. The 'Scale' effect, for instance, forces incoming notes onto
a chosen musical scale and fits well with 'Random,' which creates random deviations
in note pitch.

MIDI Clips. MIDI clips are created by recording or by dragging in Standard
MIDI files from Live's Browser. Notes can be viewed, created and edited in
the Clip View's Note Editor. When Draw Mode is engaged, the Note Editor behaves
like a drum-pattern interface, where a pattern step is set or cleared by a
single click, and flams are created by dragging across multiple steps. Unlike
a static drum grid or step sequencer, Live's flexible grid allows the user
to change the step resolution at any time.

MIDI clips, like audio clips, have their own loop settings. MIDI-controller
movements are represented as clip envelopes, which can be unlocked from the
notes to create independent movements. The same real-time options apply to
MIDI clips as they do to audio clips: MIDI clips can be launched at any time,
with real-time quantization preventing rhythmical error. MIDI clips can be
assigned to computer keys or MIDI-note ranges for jamming with musical phrases.
MIDI clips can also be exported from Live as Standard MIDI files.

MIDI Recording and Patterns. Patterns can be built up on the fly by overdubbing
MIDI onto clips while they play in a loop. In conjunction with the new 'Impulse'
percussion-sampling instrument, Live offers the options for spontaneous creation
that are normally associated with hardware groove boxes. One can, in fact,
use the computer keyboard to play Impulse's drum samples and create grooves
from the laptop alone. Standard linear MIDI recording and overdubbing are available
in the Arrangement View.

Flexible Routing. New monitoring, track routing and view navigation allow
non-disruptive track setup and recording. Any track can feed and tap other
tracks for submixes or layering, and be routed to eight auxiliary sends per
Live Set.

Automatic Jamming - Audio and MIDI clips can be set to produce customized
or even random sequences of loops or samples in Live's Session View. This
is great for generating new ideas, making beats or preparing a DJ performance.

Sample Reverse - A single button can reverse any audio clip in real time.

Session View scenes can change the project tempo.

Session View scenes can be set to advance automatically.

Audio performance has been optimized for Macintosh computers.

Live 4 Pricing and Availability

Live 4 for Mac OS 9, OS X and Windows is now shipping via the Ableton web
store and will be available at music stores worldwide by July 31, 2004. Live
4's suggested retail price is 499 EUR/US$. Upgrades from any full version of
Live (Live 1, 2 or 3) to Live 4 will cost 119 EUR/US$ (download only) or 149
EUR/US$ (boxed version). Customers who purchased Live 3, or an upgrade to Live
3, after May 15th, 2004 will be eligible for a discounted upgrade to Live 4
for only 49 EUR/US$ (download only) or 79 EUR/US$ (boxed version).

Learn how Audio Masterclass can help you become a better producer in your own home recording studio...

Come on the Free Course Tour and download our Course Brochure. Find out more about the course syllabus and tuition methods, and your fast-track route to success!

IN BRIEF

The Audio Masterclass Newsletter is a free resource to help home recording studio owners improve the standard of their work. The Newsletter is available on this website, and via free email subscription.

Audio Masterclass also offers courses in Music Production and Sound Engineering, Mixing, Equalization, Compression, Reverb & Effects, and Mastering.